Prominent Female Pioneers in Geology: Role Models for Today’s Geologists! by Cynthia Burek

Posted on 21st March 2017

The Geological Society, North West Regional Group, are holding a lecture delivered by Professor Cynthia Burek at the University of Chester on Prominent Female Pioneers in Geology.

Thursday 30th March 2017

Starts 6.30pm, Beswick Building CBE017

The talk will address various roles women have played in the development of geology: 1870-1930, with some case studies from the first female fellows of the Geological Society. Women have played crucial roles in certain areas of the development of geology at the end of the Victorian era up until 1930. This talk will focus on the first female fellows of the Geological Society and use members from that elite number to illustrate various roles that women undertook. These roles will be examined within certain discipline areas and case studies shown of women and how they have influenced the development of geology within the set time period. The social context will also be set for their work. The contributions of Catherine Raisin, Maria Ogilvie Gordon, Gertrude Elles, Ethel Skeat and Ethel Wood will be among the work examined.

Professor Cynthia Burek is at the University of Chester and holds the first chair in geoconservation in the world (2005). She is attached to the Centre for Science Communication and the Department of Biological Sciences. She also works for the Open University and has done so for 35 years. Her first and PhD degrees were from Leicester University and her MSc in information science is from City University London. Her main research areas are in geoconservation, raising public awareness, and in the role of women in the history of geology. She is a director of the Anglesey Geopark, holding the portfolio for education, and a director of British Federation of University Women and trustee of their scholarship Fund, giving away thousands of pounds to final year female PhD students. She has published over 100 articles and scientific papers and has edited 3 books for the Geological Society of London.

Cynthia serves on several national committees and is an external examiner for the University of Essex on their Writtle College conservation modules. At present her teaching is confined to conservation issues, the sedimentary record of environmental change, applications of geology to forensic science and within the biological sciences, and the history of science.

Organised by the North West Regional Group of the Geological Society of London. For further information contact the group secretary, Catherine Kenny at: Geologicalsociety.northwest@gmail.com